“There’d be something wrong with you if you didn’t enjoy him going so well with them”

Conor Cox has found a home away from home.

He’s a Listowel man but the Roscommon connection is a strong one. His father Martin is an Éire Óg man and he used bring his son to Roscommon games as a young lad.

He’s a proud man today.

KING of the Rossies 👑👑@sportsfile 📸 pic.twitter.com/Xu0PqXa0Cp

— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) June 17, 2019

Cox lit up the Connacht final in Pearse Stadium on Sunday with a string of audacious scorers, each as important and as incredible as the next. By the end of it, he was up on Roscommon shoulders as the whole county basked in the glory of their famous win.

Kerryman Tomás Ó Sé knows all about Cox’s nerve and his confidence as a player and he told us a few stories at the launch of Benetti Menswer’s GAA campaign for 2019.

“I spoke with Billy Morgan (Legendary UCC Sigerson coach) during the week, Billy Morgan could never understand why he wasn’t on the Kerry setup or why he wasn’t in there because he won huge Sigerson games for UCC. He just has a confidence, he backs himself even if he has a bad wide, he doesn’t stop.

“Like that last kick he kicked, logically that shouldn’t be going over at all, outside of the right boot. If you saw a young fella doing that, you’d say], ‘what are you doing?’. Into the wind then as well. Now I don’t think he meant the other in the first half…”

That’s a debatable take.

Sweet baby Lord, Conor Cox from the endline… 😵😵😵pic.twitter.com/XTaoUmSHJA

— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) June 16, 2019

“The last two games, even in the Mayo game, he’s kicked huge scores. He’s won vital ball for them when they needed him to win it. Cox has definitely stepped up and I think a lot of Kerry folk would be delighted for him really because he obviously wants to play for inter-county football and he’s getting the chance up there now.

But why aren’t we seeing him in a Kerry jersey?

“In my last year in 2013, he was around the panel. I’d say he would have made the panel that year but he chose to travel. A young fella, you can’t step in his way or whatever, but that’s why he wasn’t there that year. He’s around quite a while. He’s physically a very strong player and he’s a huge addition to Roscommon…”

And despite Cox’s red-hot form, Ó Sé still has is doubts as to whether he’d get his game with Kerry.

“The way Kerry play sometimes, if you have Geaney, if you have Clifford, if you have O’Donoghue, would he get a game down in Kerry and would that be his role? I don’t think he’s an outside man, I think he’s an inside man. So he’d struggle probably to get his game. He won three junior medals with Kerry and he was flying with those teams, he was absolutely buzzing…”

“But I’m not sure did he get a run with the seniors. He was always a top forward in club football but I think did that initial stepping away from Kerry and going travelling, did that stand against him? I’m not sure. I’d always be of the belief if you’re good enough, you play. Maybe Kerry had a litany of forwards at the time and maybe he just didn’t get the break…”

And in Kerry, they’re delighted for him.

“You could see it in both games, that current team above in Roscommon have a fair connection with the supporters and he’s buzzing up there. His old fella is from Roscommon, he would have been brought up on football in general. Listowel would be football mad. That town Listowel with the Brogans and the Kennellys, it’s some story when you think about it. I think he’s done brilliantly well. There’d be something wrong with you if you didn’t enjoy the fact that he was going so well with them. Right now if there was an All-Star team picked he’d be on it. 

The FootballJOE quiz: Were you paying attention? – episode 10